natural diversity
The gardens and surrounding estate have always supported many native plants and animals. We are doing all we can to increase this natural diversity within the garden, either by changing management practices or creating new habitats.
These practices include managing our lawns differently. We use no herbicides or fertilisers on the lawns and we leave large areas of grass uncut during the summer. This provides a perfect habitat for butterflies such as the meadow brown. We manage our ponds for amphibians and invertebrates. Visitors can see toads, smooth newts and their numerous tadpoles moving amongst the water weed. We have recently been busy creating deadwood habitats for wildlife, such as dead hedges and woodpiles and putting up bird boxes. You may also come across solitary bee nesting boxes and piles of leaves and twigs for our hibernating hedgehogs. We also aim to dig a new wildlife friendly pond and create a habitat for stag beetles.
